Still standing aghast, the collector can only watch on in horror as Franz leaps into action, the Machop not waiting for his opponent to be given his own orders, too eager to end the hunt while the ending was good. Grinning wide, the Fighting type drops low to the ground as he comes face to face with Osiris, bringing his right leg spinning out under him. The blow is enough to plant Osiris firmly on his back, and the Chimchar whines as he smashes into the ground, the air blown from his lungs temporarily. Standing over his foe now, Franz draws his right arm back beyond his shoulder, winding up for what was clearly going to be a devastating blow. Without warning, his limb becomes a grey blur, and Osiris whimpers feebly. Just before connecting though, Franz manages to stop himself with a practiced ease, halting the momentum of his arm. Dust from the surrounding ground is blown away from the sheer pressure generated by the motion, and Osiris can be seen limp, all the fight having drained from the Chimchar out of sheer fear for what was about to occur. Grunting with amusement, Franz kicks away from the Chimchar, glaring at the collector as if to dare him to try with another Pokemon, another lamb to the slaughter. The man is not quite so stupid, recalling Osiris to his Poke Ball and looking over towards Aether, an obvious hope in his eyes. He was searching, pleading, for anything good to come of this. He was going to be left disappointed.

Mere moments after, a shrill whine of sound blasts through the surrounding, the tell tale sign of an object moving at unimaginable speed. Belinda and the collector manage to turn just in time to see Aether launched through the air, the sheer impact force blowing the Meditite away. Aether slams into a nearby tree before sliding to the ground unconscious. With a chirp of triumph, Trevor hangs at the shoulder of his trainer, chest puffed out proudly. Daniel simply reaches into a pocket, withdrawing an Oran Berry and flicking it up towards Trevor. The Fletchling catches it merrily in his beak, quickly breaking into the soft flesh of the fruit and chirping as he nestles down to finish the meal. Daniel turns to the collector with a wide grin, the previously serious atmosphere around the boy having been dispelled.

"I think you had better recall your Pokemon and get them to a Pokemon Center, eh?"

Grimacing, the collector reluctantly calls him Pokemon back, giving a wistful glance at Anorith and hovering a hand over an empty Poke Ball. He thinks better of going against the orders though, and shuffles off in silence, a dejected expression on his face. Mixed in with that dejection was an obvious dislike though, glares thrown at both Daniel and Belinda. The man soon shuffles off into the distance though, fading from view, and Anorith chirps merrily as he scuttles around Belinda's feet. Daniel can't help but chuckle at this.

"I think he might want to tag along on a bit more of a long term basis."

"You don't say?" Her response came out playfully sarcastic as she knelt down to interact with the ancient critter. "Y'know, this little fellah has been following us ever since I went into that cave with Ranger Frankie and that fossil-crazed kid, always with that same puppy-eyed look. I never really got what he found so appealing about me, but who am I to question it, right?"... "Yeah, I'm talking about you, you persistent bugger!" She finally turned towards the Anorith with a chuckle. "I think I quite like you, after all! You really wanna stick around? Well, you can. Tell you what... you know what this is?" Pulling out a Pokeball [3/6] from her bag, she sets it on the ground in front of the creature. "With this, you can stay with me as long as you want and nobody else is gonna be able to get in the way. Whaddya say? Can we be buddies now?"

The eyes of the Anorith, typically not very expressive in the slightest, abruptly light up with glee at the sight of the Poke Ball and the description from Belinda. Despite presumably having little knowledge of what the device does, having been sealed off from the outside world for much of his life, the small shrimp wastes no time in rushing forwards, pushing a claw into the small button at the center of the device. A click resonates around the area as the two halves of the orb part, accommodating a pulsing rush of crimson energy which quickly engulfs Anorith. Condensed into data, the Rock type is pulled into the innards of the Poke Ball, and the two halves flick back together with a satisfying clunk. The orb wriggles once, twice, before finally going still, the bright red hue of the button finally dimming.

Belinda caught a Level 9 Rash Anorith with the Egg Move Aqua Jet!

Daniel wears a grin as the orb finally comes to a stop, remarking on the fact Anorith seemed more than happy to not resist.

"Y'know, it's curious." Bel went into a bit of a contemplative mood as she stared into the pokeball containing her newest acquisition. "I never thought I'd find the feeling to be mutual, but somehow I'm finding myself to be just as glad to have this little one join the ranks as he is. I've always been a bit of a lone wolf y'see, so I've never been too keen on taking responsibility over too large a squad, and yet, when that collector showed up, I couldn't help feeling like something was about to be taken from my grasp that was destined for me. It's such a weird, selfish feeling, that moment of jealous protectiveness. Now that it's done, I'm gonna have to take a good solid moment while I think of a good name for this one. Heh, don't suppose you got any good ideas? Anyways, you're right, we should get moving now. You too Franz; better get into your ball. You'll be getting patched up real nice once we get to Cerulean's PC."

When Belinda asks for suggestions for the Anorith's name, Daniel's face goes blank for a moment, the surprise clear on the face of the young trainer. He then scrunches in thought, before breaking out in a wide grin, a small laugh escaping his throat.

"If I'm going to be totally honest, I think my naming sense is completely off. I'm a bit of a traditionalist. If I ended up naming him it would be something like Sebastian or Alexander. Best you make that decision yourself."

With that said, Daniel sets off along the road towards Cerulean city, the cityscape slowly forming at the edge of their vision as they make their way through the wooded area. While the trek was not exactly a short one, the group find themselves making good pace along the way, and are finally stood at the entrance to Cerulean once again. Before they can enter, an officer dressed in uniform walks over towards Belinda. Despite her obvious attempts at seeming official, it is clear the young woman is something of a greenhorn, the atmosphere hanging around her smacking of inexperience. The way she held herself was too stiff, and her face was too taut, nowhere near the typical relaxed body language of someone in a position of authority.

"Miss ... Belinda, I presume. I'm part of the Cerulean police force. We've been working closely with rescue efforts in Mount Moon and your reward has been sent from the Gym to our headquarters. You're welcome to pick it up at any time."

With that, the young officer gives an awkward but well meaning bow of respect, before quickly dashing off, her face flushed red with embarassment as she realises the bow may have been overdoing things. Daniel cannot help but stifle a small chortle of laughter.

"Oh man, didn't even give her name. I wonder why the force has recruited someone like her? I'm sure she has her reasons, but her temperament doesn't seem well suited to the job given the times. Oh well, not my place to pry, I suppose. Anything you want to do before picking up the reward? I was thinking of hitting the Gym up for a quick training session after resting at the Pokemon Center."

Bel tilted her head from side to side as she briefly considered Daniel's suggestions before moving along the road. "I'm sure I'll come up with something fitting and inspired in due time. When it comes to naming, you just kinda have to go with both: what feels right and what you're wishing upon the object of your naming. Sometimes, that can be a bit of a process."

Once reached the city entrance, their journey is soon halted by the rookie officers interception. Bel feigned absolute calm and even drew out a courteous smile as the officer relayed her message, though a part of her would always be on the defensive whenever the blue ones where involved. She rolled her eyes disdainfully as soon as the officer turned around, though what annoyed her the most was less the officer herself but more the notion that she was being led on. She had specifically asked to keep things subtle and anonymous back in Mt. Moon. Why then would she have to go straight to the police department to claim her rewards? Now she would have to spend the rest of the evening growing paranoid about who's watching and making sure no misunderstandings are made with those dwelling on the far opposite end of the law. It was one thing to be dragged to the police station by force, but a whole other thing to walk in there voluntarily.

"To be honest, hitting the gym sounds fine by me." She replied back to Daniel. "Some of my Pokemon have some catching up to do, and really, I ain't got no rush to pick my dues at the friggin' police station just yet. I'm just gonna take a moment to sort my mail while I'm at the pokemon center for a bit."

Daniel grins on Belinda voicing her obvious dislike for the police, giving the impression that such an opinion may not be too unfamiliar or outlandish to the young trainer. Either way, Daniel waves Belinda goodbye as she enters the Pokemon Center, saying that he'll head on to the Gym and organise a training session for them both. He quickly runs away, his youthful exuberance evident in his clear inability to even so much as stand still for a few moments, much less sit.

After completing her business at the Pokemon Center, Belinda walks back out into the crisp air of Cerulean city, a distinct chill on the air - not particularly uncomfortable, but nonetheless present. Walking over towards the Gym, the large and admittedly impressive building rather obvious even among the now somewhat sprawling Cerulean downtown. As Belinda approaches the front entrance, she spots Daniel standing outside, hurriedly eating what seemed to be a pastry. On noticing Belinda, Daniel hurriedly wolfs down the remainder of the food, waving her over in the process.

"About time you got here. The Gym Trainer seems ... impatient. Bit of a brat, honestly. Still, she must be the real deal, not easy to become a Gym Trainer these days. Come on, let's head in."

Entering, Belinda quickly realises exactly what Daniel meant. Standing in the main lobby was a fairly young girl, although her stern face indicated she may be slightly older than her diminutive stature would suggest. She had long brown hair, pulled back in a tight ponytail and slotted through the back opening of a deep cerulean cap. Her attire was pretty simple all things considered - a white t-shirt with a rather comically poorly drawn image of a Kingler printed onto the front. Denim shorts completed her ensemble, along with a pair of white sneakers. It nearly seemed coreographed to emphasise her childish looks. Despite this, she clearly wore the Cerulean city insignia on her cap, and the other trainers in the lobby kept a healthy distance from her, no doubt on account of the intimidating aura that she somehow seemed to radiate, giving the impression of a bomb ready to detonate at any moment. Her attention quickly shifted towards Belinda and Daniel as they enter the lobby, her striking green eyes narrowing as they approached.

"About time. I'm a busy woman. So, what kind of training are you after? General, or something a little more specific?"

Momentarily departing from Daniel at the Pokémon Center’s entrance, Bel goes straight to the counter for a quick refreshing of her Machop and Anorith before sorting through her mail. She’s mildly surprised to find herself the winner of a Muscle Band from some random raffle she had participated in. She takes a moment to recall her companions while incidentally her Purrloin silently waltzes in from outside, having apparently trekked all the way from Mt. Moon in the shadows; Bel didn’t really seem surprised at her appearance. “Good job, you got here just in time!”

Adrian mewled demandingly and looked up at her with her characteristically saccharine gaze, a seemingly practiced act, clearly expecting compensation for her loyalty. “Relax,” Bel let out a single chuckle, “I got something for you all today. Firstly, Franz,” The Machop, seemingly too distracted at one moment by the sheer beauty of his biceps, instantly perks up at the sound of his name. “Check this out: it’s a Muscle Band. Legend has it that if you wear this mysterious artifact, you will gain untold physical power! Or it could also just be an ordinary piece of cloth that’s just for show… you want it, don’t you?” Franz nods eagerly, his mind apparently not registering anything else after the promise of godly strength. “You reeeeaally want it?” The nodding intensifies. “Then it’s yours! Here, hold on to it and be sure to look cool while wearing it.” Wasting not a second, Franz wraps the band around his wrist and wowed in shock as he felt his body pulsing with raw power, already filling his mind with sudden delusions of grandeur. It was never confirmed if this was a result of the Muscle Band itself, or a mere consequence of the placebo effect of Franz’s imagination.

“Next up, Adrian, for you Santa-linda has, not one, but twoRare Candies. See? I am sort of nice from time to time.” The look on the kitten’s face was for once so full of genuine glee that Bel was for a second afraid her heart would actually grow soft. She would end up regretting this kind of emotional response afterwards. The intent was mainly to help Adrian grow stronger, and the fact that such elusive drugs were so tasty to Pokémon was just icing on the cake. She always wondered why it never quite had the same effect on humans. Regardless, she hoped this would help the Purrloin’s bonding even further.

“Finally, this is for the newest member of our little gang. I’ve been thinking about this for a while, but I think I’ve come up with an appropriate name. In what I’ve known of you, I find you to be the innocent and trusting type, and that actually sickens me a bit, to be honest, and yet, I think it’s paradoxically cute somehow.” The Anorith simply gave her same kind of affectionate look he’s been giving her the whole time. He didn’t quite get what she was going on about, but he liked her, and that was enough. “And so, from now on, you’ll be named Earnest. I saved this last Rare Candy just for you.” After chewing the treat for a bit, Earnest seems to abruptly come into the realization that it’s probably the best thing he has ever had in his life, and starts scuttling around in circles in excitement and newfound strength, hacking and slashing the thin air every now and then.

Having finally made it into the Cerulean Gym, both Bel and Daniel are met with a petite and rather arrogant Gym Trainer, and it was then that Bel was reminded of one reason why she preferred more secluded and underground locations for her training needs: there was far less of a chance of dealing with an entitled brat. Though her attitude wasn’t yet enough to trigger the thug in irritation, it did led her to dispose of all pleasantries and respond in kind: bluntly and straight to the point. The only reason Bel agreed to come to the official Gym in the first place was because, in truth, she felt she could use the aid. Until recently, herself and Franz went on about as an exclusive pair, and while Bel was aware of the Machop’s training needs, she only had a vague grasp of what was best for the other two who only joined up recently; so for once she would shove her pride aside and allow someone else to help guide her. No one said she had to be nice about it however.

“I need to develop a speed training regimen for my Purrloin. I’ve also got a prehistoric shrimp that needs general training so I can evaluate his strengths and weaknesses. Me and my Machop can take care of ourselves, just show me the equipment.”

The Gym Trainer visibly bristles when Belinda answers in a similarly blunt fashion, the tension of the very room thickening as trainers around the edges of the foyer all instinctively flinching back, expecting some sort of adverse reaction from the young girl. Eventually though, she simply sighs, scratching at the side of her head while giving a small shake.

"I can appreciate you being to the point. Apologies if I was a little short. I'm not known to have the longest fuse. The name is Helena, by the way, since I notice he didn't mention it."

Helena turns her head to look pointedly at Daniel, the young trainer sheepishly backing away with a flushed face as he tries to avoid the stern gaze being turned against him. Helena softens shortly after though, turning back towards Belinda and mulling over what she had just been asked.

"A speed training regiment won't be too much of a hassle to set up, especially for something like a Purrloin. They're naturally pretty agile, it's more or less sharpening the basics for them. As for the ... wait, did you say ... prehistoric shrimp?"

Helena's eyes light up at this realisation, the Gym Trainer craning her neck around Belinda's larger figure in order to try and spy this elusive Pokemon. Finally landing eyes on Earnest, the young girl rushes forwards, a childish giddiness replacing her formerly aloof posture. Kneeling down to look closely at Earnest, Helena gingerly yet gently inspects Earnest, a low, drawn out whistle of approval escaping her lips.

"Man, this is so cool. I've never seen one up close. Always wanted to, but they don't exactly hang around everywhere, you know? I take it you must have been one of the trainers who helped out with that hubbub at Mount Moon? You got a pretty nice partner here for your troubles."

Straightening herself once again, seemingly pretty pleased with her inspection of Earnest, Helena waves for Belinda to follow and begins to take the group deeper into the Gym complex. They soon walk out onto a rather large swimming pool, the far end of the room aligned with numerous weights of varying sizes. Pointing towards the collection, Helena nods towards Franz.

"Those should suffice for some simple resistance training for Machop. We might have something a little more complex somewhere if you really need it, but this isn't exactly the kind of place which specialises in his type or build."

Helena shrugs with this last statement, something of a "what can you do?" gesture. Still, she plods on in her explanation.

"So, with regards to your Purrloin, cats tend to despise water. Obviously when it comes to speed training, we'd normally accommodate them in the pool here, but your Purrloin likely won't be too keen on that. Give me a second ..."

Taking one of the Poke Balls from her belt, Helena calls upon one of her Pokemon, a small red crustacean soon materialising from the crimson surge of light. Clacking his claws at his trainer, the Corphish turns towards the pool before leaping into it's depths, turning and facing Helena.

"Laurence here will shoot a Water Gun at your Purrloin now and then. Aim is simple, keep dry. It's a bit simple, but it'll get the job done I imagine. As for your Anorith, I have something a little more special in mind."

Calling upon another Pokemon, this one much larger than the first but no less a distinct shade of red, Helena mumbles some instructions to the Kingler before it too leaps into the waters of the pool, managing to tread water awkwardly so that his eyes remained situated just above the water line, looking unnervingly at Belinda.

"If you set Machop and Purrloin away on their own individual training, I'll need you to assist with Anoriths. I'm going to have Arnold here improvise something of an obstacle course in the water for Anorith, and since I imagine he hasn't got much combat experience, he'll likely need your assistance with at least solving the problems."

“Not a problem. Mine's Belinda.” She responded soon after Helena’s introduction, her mouth curling up ever so slightly in victory as she did. She was quite familiar with this game already, and she knew instinctively to always puff her chest and stand her ground whenever someone came at her with an attitude. Likewise, she could develop some respect whenever another person did the same to her. Back in the day, good ol’ Johnny, their once gang leader, would often stalk prey at one of downtown Celadon’s pubs. Every so often, he would pick out the scrawniest and meekest of new pub-goers and make the gang coerce the poor soul into a back-alley fight. Most of the time, they broke under the pressure, turning themselves into easy pickings. They almost never returned for round two. Yet, one out of ten seemed to show some spine, which would lead into something quite remarkable: rather than breaking out into a brawl, they would instead end up shaking hands as if they were long-time friends. Back then, her youthfulness blinded her, and she didn’t quite get what was the meaning of it all. They were many against one, why not just mug that one person like everyone else? It was only after some time that she learned that the dynamic was not purely one of domination, but a means to put the people of Celadon to the test, and in the process build a tightly knit community of tough men and women. The pub’s regulars had all survived Johnny, and they stayed because of him. Those were the days. It’s truly a shame she never got to see him again after the disasters.

Helena carried on, starting to consider Belinda's request until it dawned upon her just how rare a companion was following the thug around, giddily inspecting the Anorith like a super nerd unboxing a new toy. Though it might be odd for an ex-Rocket, and despite her awareness of Earnest's value in the market, she never quite considered him as a trophy. After all, she was nothing but a mere thug, and from a more practical perspective, a Pokémon's value is determined only by the potential utility they provide their masters. Still, the gym trainer's reaction, although a positive one, made Bel realize that walking around with Earnest would probably attract way more attention than she would be comfortable with, and made a mental note to keep his public appearances to a minimum lest she becomes herself a target as well.

"Heh, the deal at Mt. Moon? We just did what we could, and I'm glad it worked out well enough in the end." For a moment, Bel was tempted to mention how Daniel got buried under debris and was KO'd for most of the operation, but she figured the poor kid had lost enough favor with the gym trainer already as is. "This little fellah has been sticking around since. I bet he'd say he found a good companion for his troubles, but I still question his judgement in that regards. I'll do the best I can."

It wasn't long until everyone made it further into the Gym complex, and it was then that Bel was presented with the various training courses for her Pokemon. Personally, she wished she could train side by side with her Machop, not only because working with weights was her own zone of comfort, but also because she didn't want to miss out on training herself. Just thinking at how easily she was strcuk down by a single sucker punch just a few days back at the harbor had put in perspective what was lacking in her arsenal of skills, and it made her anxious that she wasn't doing anything about it. Still, if Helena believed Bel's assistance was necessary for Earnest's sake, then so be it, she would sacrifice a bit of her own agenda now for the greater good.

"Alrighty then. Franz! Adrian! Here's how it goes. Franz, you know the routine more than well by now. Warm up running laps from one side of the pool to the other, then make use of the weights as you see fit. Don't cheat out on repetitions. And by cheat I mean don't sneak in more than necessary while I'm not looking. I need you fit, not overworked. See if Daniel can find you a weighted vest or something as well." Franz nodded eagerly, as he always does at the prospect of training. Adrian on the other hand didn't seem nearly as interested, both because of her favoring more liesurely pursuits and because the idea of being even close to a huge pool of water sounded like a terrible plan for the feline creature.

"Oh don't give me that look Adrian, you need this, and I'll reward you as always. Now, it would probably be too easy to just have you run around everywhere dodging shots, so how about we up the ante? I'll limit a very specific area for you to maneouver in. You cannot pass through these boundaries, and let's also say that for every shot dodged we have Laurence close the gap further. If you can manage to dodge everything up to point blank, then I'll treat you to something extra, extra special for you. So, how's that for a challenge? Think you got what it takes?" The Purrloin scoffed in response, finding the proposal to be too simple for her skills. To dodge a slow-ass red cray cray? Sounds like she would be getting an easy treat, even with the handicaps. Why not put a blindfold on top of that too? "Wow, aren't you confident? Well then, just remember, you can try as many times as you want if you fail... and just know I'll be keeping count."

"And with that, I believe I'm all yours to help out with Earnest." She finally addressed Helena before turning to Daniel. "And you? Aren't you doing some training of your own? Y'know, I've yet to see the rest of your party besides that bird boss, and yet you've seen all of mine. It's kind of unfair, in a way."

With Belinda having issued orders to both Franz and Adrian, the Machop is the one who is clearly the more enthusiastic with his own training. With a merry, affirmative cheer, he crouches low to the ground, allowing himself a sprinting start to his laps around the pool before Daniel can even begin to look for a weighted vest. His speed is impressive considering his relative bulk, noted by Helena, who also seemed to be fairly impressed by the alterations Belinda had made to the training for Adrian. The feline seemed much less enthusiastic than her partner, with Franz having already got near his final lap before the Purrloin began her own training. Laurence, realising that his opponent - or in his mind, victim, given the way he was eyeing Adrian - was finally ready to begin, opened his right claw wide. For a moment there was nothing, and then without warning a thin stream of highly pressurised water spurted out to greet Adrian. The feline yowled as the blast came hurtling towards her, the speed not something she had anticipated .With a desperate scramble, she manages to coil her body to one side, avoiding the incoming stream, but Laurence is relentless. On Adrian wriggling out of his first blast, the Corphish sidled forwards ever so slightly, unleashing a second blast of water. This time, the stream managed to clip the left flank of Adrian, and as if by ways of challenge, Laurence shuffled backwards, resetting to his previous position, making his own intentions clear.

At this point, Daniel himself scratches his head, looking a little nervous if anything.

"Actually, I was going to head off and do my own training elsewhere. I get a little self conscious with regards to my other Pokemon."

Before managing to explain exactly what he meant by the weird message, the young trainer bolted from the room, moving a little too quickly for it to be anything less than strange. Helena simply shrugs her shoulders, dismissing his actions as not her problem. Moving towards the edge of the pool, she removes her sneakers and socks, perching on the lip of the pool and putting her feet into the waters. Waving Belinda forwards, the young Gym Trainer points towards the bottom of the pool. Arnold can be seen lurking there, his eyes set intently upon Earnest. Helena instructs the Anorith to begin doing laps of the pool, which he does with a spring in his paddle, but this soon changes drastically. With a grunt audible even through the water, Arnold opens one of his hefty claws, releasing an abrupt shift in pressure within the water. This creates a vortex on the surface, the strength of which quickly caught Earnest within it's pull. The shrimp tries his best to escape the initial pull of the construct, but it is clear that his attempts are futile. Helena simply smiles.

"Well then. What do you plan on doing? He'll need to get out of there pretty sharpish, or his stamina will be gone before we've even begun."

Bel looked a bit puzzled at Daniel's sudden departure. The heck was that all about? Wasn't him the one who brought her over to the gym in the first place? To then state that he would do his training elsewhere sounded off, and his supposed self-consciousness regarding his other Pokémon only drew even more attention to them. What was he trying to hide anyways? Regardless, she could to an extent understand his excuse, though it was still a completely unexpected occurance coming from him. Perhaps there was still much to learn about this young trainer.

None of that mattered at the moment however, as she centered her focus on the trial set for Earnest. A quick decision had to be made as he found himself trapped in the vortex's current, which threatened to suck him down into the pool's depth if he didn't act swiftly. A problem arose however, as Belinda's realized she had zero knowledge of his partner's movepool, and thus was at a loss as to what kind of options were available to her disposal. She recalled the various Anorith to be capable of shooting bursts of water back when dealing with the Onix at Mt. Moon, and perhaps this was all she needed to know to solve this particular conundrum. "Earnest, what are you waiting for! You need to jet yourself outta there! Shoot opposite of where you need to go!" She commanded her instructions, expecting him to use a Water Gun as a means of propulsion, but perhaps the Anorith was also packing a similar and more effective move, one that was inherited and not naturally learned by others of his kind. One never knows what kinds of surprises a Pokemon might have in store.

With Earnest trapped within the whirlpool, Arniold watching on with narrowed, beady eyes, Belinda quickly issues orders of a sort to her Anorith. Helena seems taken aback by this, one of her eyebrows raising as she does something of a double take, but Earnest somehow seems to get the message. Grunting, the Anorith allows himself to be swept up within the current, moving along with the forceful tugging rather than fighting against it. Then, without warning, his entire body begins to pulse with a thickened aura, extra water exploding into existence around him. Helena is now truly taken aback, her eyes widening, but before she can instruct Arnold to do anything, Earnest is accelerating along with the roiling shift of the waters. The Anorith manages to garner an impressive speed before managing to peel away from the tuging pull of Arnold's whirlpool, the Kingler clearly looking disgruntled within the waters. In response to this, the crab quickly launches himself onto dry land. scuttling over towards some nearby equipment. As Earnest comes to a slow halt, Arnold strikes.

Hurling a large, rope net over the water, Arnold clacks his claws with a fervent triumph as Earnest once again finds himself trapped, looking towards Belinda for instruction. Meanwhile, her other Pokemon were training rather effectively - Franz was merrily going through numerous sets of weights, rotating as necessary, while Adrian was slowly but surely getting a feel for the speed of Laurence;s Water Guns, having managed to force the Corphish roughly halfway across the distance between them.

A smirk formed on Belinda's face as she bore witness to Earnest's talent. She thought to herself how much of an interesting and useful new tool his Aqua Jet was, and already started envisioning scenarios where it would come to great use. And yet, it wasn't enough. She wanted to know more; the full extent of the Anorith's resourcefullness. After all, pokemon companions had to be able to adapt to a variety of situations, and a mere single trick would never suffice the need of a robust toolkit. A new obstacle was set for this purpose, and it was one that a burst of speed alone would probably not be enough to overcome. As the rope net blocked Earnest's means of escape, Bel first instinct was to try and find a way to break through - by force. She recalled Earnest practicing a new learned move upon consumption of his rare candies earlier, and common sense dictated that sharp claws would be most efficient to pull off the job. Thus, holding no hesitation, she instructs.

With Earnest having handled the last obstacle with aplomb, Helena watches on with intrigued eyes, a grin beginning to form on her face. The young girl was clearly becoming quite invested in the training of the Anorith, most likely due to the relative rarity of the species. A more serious attitude comes across her face as Arnold comes scuttling towards the nearby nets, a small nod all she relays to the Kingler as support of his plan.. With that, the net is flying through the air ... but Earnest does not panic. Belinda's words carry to him, the Anorith filling with confidence. Concentrating, his body undulating as he readies himself, his claws become clad in a faint beige energy. With a triumphant hiss, Earnest leverages his body just out of the water, slashing wildly as the net begins to enclose around him. At first, it seems like the Anorith may sink beneath the surface and lose out to Arnold; then it happens - the material of the net frays, before snapping entirely and falling limply to either side of Earnest, who celebrates wildly. Looking around to check the progress of Belinda's other two Pokemon, she nods, seemingly content.

Adrian was stood panting, the Purrloin having been put through her paces and then some. Franz too seems to have worked up quite the considerable sweat, the Machop stood resting with his face turned towards the ceiling. While it may have been simple, it is clear that the trio have grown considerably as a consequence of their efforts.

[Adrian and Earnest both gain 2 levels, while Franz gains a single level!]

Turning back towards Belinda, satisfied the work was done for now, Helena frowns for a brief moment

"What do you want to do now then? Marigold isn't here at the moment so it's a no go on challenging her, and with your team match up I'm not sure you'd have the easiest of times anyway. If you like, I can call ahead to your next destination and explain the situation - I'm sure the Leader will be happy to accommodate considering your help with the cave-ins."